President Trump indicated Sunday that Venezuelan officials “would like to talk” — the same day the United States’ most advanced aircraft carrier arrived in the Caribbean Sea as tensions mount with the Nicolás Maduro-led South American nation.

“We may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out. They would like to talk,” the president told reporters.

“What does it mean? You tell me, I don’t know,” he said when asked to elaborate.

“I’ll talk to anybody. We’ll see what happens.”

Earlier Sunday, the USS Gerald Ford and other warships in the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group entered the Caribbean Sea as part of Trump’s “directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland,” the Navy said in a statement.

The operation has carried out at least 22 separate missile strikes on boats it deemed were smuggling drugs from Venezuela.

The USS Gerald R. Ford arrived in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday. AP

Trump’s comments and the arrival of the warships come three days after Maduro made a plea for “peace” in an interview with CNN.

“To unite for the peace of [the Americas]. No more endless wars. No more unjust wars. No more Libya. No more Afghanistan,” Maduro said.

Asked if he had a message for Trump, Maduro said, “Yes, peace. Yes, peace.”

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denounced the US military’s missile strikes and urged for “peace.” AFP via Getty Images

The hulking 100,000-ton USS Ford’s presence marks the aggressive continuation of “Operation Southern Spear,” which includes nearly a dozen Navy ships and roughly 12,000 sailors and Marines. It marks the largest military presence in the Caribbean in 35 years.

President Trump told reporters Sunday that Maduro “would like to talk.” AP

While the ship was arriving in the Caribbean Sea, the US military’s Southern Command shared a post on X showing yet another alleged drug smuggling boat being blown up. The attack itself took place on Saturday in international waters off the eastern Pacific Ocean and killed three men on board, according to the SOUTHCOM.

The US strikes started in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific in September, and since then at least 86 people have been killed.

The US military is ramping up its presence in other countries on the northern coast of South America.

At least 86 people have been killed in 22 separate US-led missile strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats. DoD/AFP via Getty Images

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that US troops have been training in Panama and that the military will be “reactivating our jungle school” to “be ready to act on whatever” Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth order.

Maduro accused the US government of “fabricating” a war against him and wrote on Sunday that the “Venezuelan people are ready to defend their homeland against any criminal aggression.”

His government also asserted it has a “massive” mobilization of troops and civilians ready to defend against possible US attacks.

Maduro is accused of stealing last year’s election and heading a state-sanctioned drug cartel. via REUTERS

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US doesn’t recognize Maduro as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, in part because he was widely accused of stealing last year’s election. Rubio labeled Venezuela’s government as a “transshipment organization” that willingly works with drug traffickers.

Rubio doubled down on Sunday and announced that the State Department will be designating Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization, effective on Nov. 24. He claimed that the cartel is headed by Maduro and other high-ranking members of his government.

Maduro already faces hefty narcoterrorism charges in the US. Trump previously announced a whopping $50 million reward for his capture.

Trump has repeatedly justified the missile strikes by insisting the US is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels and that the victims aboard the boats are all “narcoterrorists.”

Trump has also alluded to expanding the strikes and claimed the US would “stop the drugs coming in by land.”

With Post wires